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“And what is that?” I ask.
I wait for him to answer, but my uncle does instead.
“How we’re going to get you to become the head of the Fraternitas.”
My eyes widen in surprise as I blurt, “I’m not interested in being the head of anything.”
“Since the Fraternitas’s inception, there has been a shadow organization working to destroy what was built,” my grandfather explains. “We discovered that the Filiae Bellonae isn’t the only group who want to see us gone or replaced.”
No longer interested in the dessert on my plate, I drop my fork and listen intently, eager to learn more.
“Over the last fifty years, there has been an active movement to eliminate the Bradford line in the hopes of forcing a shift in power,” my uncle adds.
The reminder of what Elise did sickens me. My anger at her betrayal still festers beneath my skin.
Clearing his throat, my father states, “The only way to end our hiding and keep our family safe is to change the way the Fraternitas works.”
Needing a moment to process, I grab my glass of water and take a sip before placing it back on the table.
I think back over this last year. . . over the past few years. My family has been irrevocably changed by the actions of the Fraternitas and the Filiae Bellonae, and for that, both organizations must pay.
Inhaling, I pull my shoulders back, meet my family’s gazes head-on, and exclaim, “Tell me what needs to be done.”
4
ARIAH
“Come on, Ry,” Kellan whines as he and Kylan pull my hands toward the backyard.
They’ve both been begging me for the last hour to take them outside to swim.
“Jamie’s already outside, but Dad said we can’t go unless an adult is out there, and you’re the only adult around,” Ky explains.
“Okay, I’m coming. You both don’t have to drag me,” I snort.
They drop my hands and turn to give me the ‘we weren’t born yesterday’ look in unison before running for the door.
Freaking twin shit.
By the time I stepped outside, Jamie is jumping off the diving board, Ky has his shirt stripped off, and Kell has kicked off his shoes. The twins look to see if they have the okay, and before I can give a complete nod, they’re running.
“Hey, no running,” I shout, peeling off my shorts. They immediately switch to “walking briskly.”
They yell, “Sorry,” just as they cannonball into the water. Yeah right.
I shake my head, then yank my tank off. Kellan is standing at the side of the pool, preparing to belly flop when I slide into the heated water.
Jamie swims across the deep end as I watch the twins take turns, seeing who can create the biggest splash.
“Let’s play Marco Polo,” Jamie suggests once she reaches me.
“Oh, we haven’t played that in years. See if the boys want to,” I instruct, and she disappears under the water.
A smile crests my face, a foreign feeling since we arrived here last month. But in moments like this, where my siblings are laughing instead of worrying, I can momentarily forget the sting of betrayal that caused me to move across the country.
Jamie and the twins are swimming toward me when I hear footsteps approaching. I shield my eyes from the sun in time to see my grandmother. Her warm gaze connects with mine. “Having fun?” she asks.
“Get in and play with us,” Ky demands, making her laugh.
